Football Jan 22, 2026

West Midlands police chief Craig Guildford to retire after Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban for Aston Villa Europa League match

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
West Midlands police chief Craig Guildford to retire after Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban for Aston Villa Europa League match

The chief constable of West Midlands Police is to retire after his force faced criticism over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from attending a football match against Aston Villa.

Craig Guildford will step down with immediate effect as the head of the force following mounting pressure for him to quit over the controversy.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she had lost confidence in the senior police boss after a "damning" watchdog review showed "confirmation bias" and a "failure of leadership" in West Midlands Police.

Mr Guildford's decision to retire was announced by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster outside police headquarters in Birmingham on Friday.

Mr Guildford has "done the right thing" by stepping down, the Home Secretary has said.

Mahmood said: "The findings of the chief inspector were damning. They set out a catalogue of failings that have harmed trust in West Midlands Police.

"By stepping down, Craig Guildford has done the right thing today.

"I would like to acknowledge his years of service. And I pay tribute to the work of the officers in West Midlands Police, who keep their community safe every day.

"Today marks a crucial first step to rebuilding trust and confidence in the force amongst all the communities they serve."

Guildford apologised to MPs for giving them an error in evidence, which arose from the use of artificial intelligence over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.

West Midlands Police said it would take "immediate action" to rectify problems identified in an investigation into what led the fans to be banned.

Force leaders have been under fire over the decision to ban supporters of the Israeli football team from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa on November 6.

Guildford wrote to the Home Affairs Committee to apologise for the mistake, after he appeared twice to give evidence over the controversy.

In a report to the Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group over whether to prevent supporters from attending the game, West Midlands Police referenced a match between the Israeli club and West Ham that never happened.

In a letter to committee chairwoman Dame Karen Bradley, the senior police figure said evidence given to the committee by himself and assistant chief constable Mike O'Hara that wrong intelligence over a West Ham match with Maccabi Tel Aviv was because a Google search was incorrect.

Instead, the "erroneous result" arose from the use of the artificial intelligence tool Microsoft Copilot.

Guildford wrote: "Both ACC O'Hara and I had, up until Friday afternoon, understood that the West Ham match had only been identified through the use of Google.

"I would like to offer my profound apology to the Committee for this error, both on behalf of myself and that of ACC O'Hara.

"I had understood and been advised that the match had been identified by way of a Google search in preparation for attending HAC.

"My belief that this was the case was honestly held and there was no intention to mislead the Committee."

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were barred from travelling to the game at Villa Park by the local Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which cited safety concerns based on advice from the police force.

The decision by the SAG - which is made up of representatives from the council, police and other authorities - sparked political outrage, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Since then, doubts have been growing over the intelligence used by police, including disputes over the accuracy of information.

Guildford has insisted the decision was not politically influenced.

Tags:

football news

Share this article

Related Posts

Rangers transfer news: Tuur Rommens joins from Westerlo in ÂŁ3m deal as second January signing

Rangers transfer news: Tuur Rommens joins from Westerlo in ÂŁ3m deal as second January signing

Rangers have completed the signing of left-back Tuur Rommens from Westerlo on an initial three-and-a-half-year deal.The Belgian is head coach Danny Rö...

Andreas Skov Olsen: Rangers agree loan deal for Wolfsburg winger which includes option to buy in summer

Andreas Skov Olsen: Rangers agree loan deal for Wolfsburg winger which includes option to buy in summer

Rangers have agreed a loan deal for Wolfsburg winger Andreas Skov Olsen.The 26-year-old is set to undergo a medical before joining until the summer, w...

Conor Gallagher to Tottenham: Atletico Madrid midfielder joins Spurs in ÂŁ34m deal after Aston Villa interest

Conor Gallagher to Tottenham: Atletico Madrid midfielder joins Spurs in ÂŁ34m deal after Aston Villa interest

Tottenham have completed the signing of England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid for a fee of ÂŁ34m.Aston Villa also approached Atletico...

Africa Cup of Nations latest news: AFCON results, scores, reports and standings

Africa Cup of Nations latest news: AFCON results, scores, reports and standings

Forest agree loan terms for LuccaNottingham Forest have agreed loan terms with Napoli for Lorenzo Lucca, according to Sky in Italy, but&nbsp...

Pep Guardiola vents his VAR grievances amid Man City Carabao Cup controversy over Antoine Semenyo disallowed goal

Pep Guardiola vents his VAR grievances amid Man City Carabao Cup controversy over Antoine Semenyo disallowed goal

Pep Guardiola unleashed an extraordinary takedown of previous VAR calls that have gone against Manchester City following Antoine Semenyo's controversi...

Police chief apologises for 'erroneous' Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban evidence for Aston Villa Europa League match, blaming AI

Police chief apologises for 'erroneous' Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban evidence for Aston Villa Europa League match, blaming AI

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has told MPs in the Commons that she “has no confidence” in Craig Guildford as Chief Constable of West Midlands Pol...